Spring Dream
by Jessica Wolfe
Summary: It's spring break. The guys are headed to California and the beach. But what consequences will befall them when Mikey saves a young girl from drowning?
1. Chapter 1

"Hey dudes! Lookie, lookie. We got mail!"

Michelangelo slid down the railing from the upper level of the lair to where his brothers gathered below.

"Who's it from, Mikey?" Donatello asked.

"There's, like, only two people who have April's address," Mike said.

"Keno and Dan Pennington," Leonardo said. "So, which one wrote?"

"Bet it was Keno," Raphael said. "He keeps buggin' us ta visit him in Japan."

"Sure," Leo retorted. "Just as soon as we can figure out a way to hide ourselves for the twenty-four hour flight over there."

"Well, we are ninjas," Don said thoughtfully.

"Yo, dudes!" Mike said, waiving his arms and trying to get his brothers' attention back. "You wanna read the letter or not?"

"So read already," Raph growled.

Mike tore the envelope open and pulled the letter out. He cleared his throat.

"Dear dudes," he began.

Leo and Don groaned while Raph stood stoically staring at his youngest brother.

"Read it like it's written," the red turtle bit out.

Mike flushed and scowled. "Oh, fine! 'Dear guys. Hey, it's Dan. spring break's coming up down here and all my room mates are heading home or to the beach. I'll have the house to myself and was hoping you might be able to find your way down here. Hope all's well with you. Dan.' He left his phone number as well."

Mike looked up and found himself under the scrutiny of three sets of brown eyes.

"What?!"

Don grinned. "I think that's the longest you've gone without saying 'dude'."

"It must be some kind of breakthrough," Raph teased.

Mike tossed the letter at his brothers and started back up the stairs.

"Awe, Mikey, don't go away mad," Don called. "We're just teasing."

"Ha, ha," Mike called back, sarcastically. "See you dudes in a bit."

He snagged his skateboard and headed out to blow off some steam. He didn't know why he let Raph get to him, but his brother sure knew how to punch his buttons.

When Mike returned a few hours later, his brothers were all gathered around the table. Mike recognized Casey's dark head of hair among the group.

"Yo, Casey!" he called.

"Yo, Mikey! What up?"

Mike dropped his skateboard and took the steps two at a time, jogging to where the others were.

"Nuthin' much. Just skatin'. What's up with you?"

Casey grinned. "Plannin' a road trip."

Mike eyed his brothers. "Really? Where?"

"Well, I hear that a friend of ours has the place alone to himself for spring break, so it looks like we're heading to California."

"We?"

"Well, we'd hoped you'd come with us," Raph said. "It's gonna take a few days to drive from New York to California, but, if you think you can stand us for that long . . ."

Mike grinned and threw himself at Raph, putting his brother into a head lock.

"Of course I can stand ya, dude. I'll just have to have Donnie and Leo help me tie you up and gag you."

"Funny," Leo said, smiling as his brothers roughhoused, "that's just what Raph said about you."

**3 Days Later**

"Dudes, I feel jet lagged," Mike said.

He stared blankly out the window of the old model VW bus. If the Foot Clan were to attack now, he thought, we'd all be dead.

Donnie nodded and yawned. "Only without the jet." The purple turtle stared at Raph, who was snoring in the back seat. "I wish I could sleep like that."

Mike poked his head up between the driver and front passenger's seats.

"We there yet, bro?"

"Almost," said Leo, who was driving.

It was two in the morning and the streets were mostly empty.

"Take a left up ahead," Casey said. Then he flipped the map that he'd been reading. "No, a right! Sorry."

Don leaned over Mike and pointed. "That's the house. Up ahead there. We made it."

Leo pulled into the driveway and parked the old VW bus. "Think Dan's still up?"

"He should be," Casey said, rolling his neck and shoulders. "We called him and told him we'd be in late."

The porch light came on.

"Looks like we're expected," Raph noted groggily from the back.

Dan Pennington came out onto the porch and waved.

"I vote we leave the stuff in here and go crash," Mike yawned. "I could use a nice soft bed after the last three days."

"Bring your things," Leo said, drawing groans from his siblings. "If we don't get it now, Casey and Dan'll have to bring it in. We can't exactly walk around in daylight, you know."

"I vant to suck your blood," Raph said in a very fake Transylvania accent. He yanked the side door open. "Let's get inside already. Yer messin' with my beauty sleep."

He slung his knapsack over his shoulder and started up the stairs to the house.

"I don't know what he's complaining about," Don muttered, picking up his bag and getting out of the bus. "He's slept more than the rest of us on this trip."

"Yeah, well, we're all gonna sleep good tonight," Casey said.

"Well," Don corrected. "We'll all sleep well, tonight."

"Whatever. Just show me the mattress."

Leo and Mike shared a grin as they pulled their things from the bus and locked the vehicle up.

"It's so great you guys could make it," Dan said. "It's been way too long."

The moved into the house and Dan locked the door behind them. Raph was already snoring on one of the couches in the living room.

"All my roomies are gone, so just pick a bed to sleep in," Dan invited. "Or you can take the couches. There's sleeping bags too. Whatever you fancy."

"If it's relatively soft and doesn't move, I'll take it," Don said.

Ten minutes later, everyone was settled. Raph hadn't budged from the couch he'd claimed. Leo had claimed the other couch in the living room. Don, Mike, and Casey had all taken rooms, though Don elected to sleep in a sleeping bag on the bed as opposed to in the bed itself.

"Night dudes!" Mike called, flipping off the last light.

There were muffled 'g'nights' and grumbles from those still coherent enough to respond.

"And tomorrow, the beach," Mike murmured.


	2. Chapter 2

Mike was the first one up. He was still a little tired, but excited to see the new city.

"Too bad I won't get to see it 'til after dark," he muttered.

He peeked out the blinds in the room he was borrowing. The house was situated in a nice neighborhood. Judging from the decorations on some of the other houses, it appeared that several of the houses were rented to students of the local college.

With a sigh, Mike left the room and went downstairs. Raph was snoring, sprawled on the couch like he owned it. Leo was curled on his side, head buried under a couch cushion. Mike grinned and moved into the kitchen. He wasn't hungry just yet, but if Dan didn't get up soon, Mike decided he'd have to raid the refrigerator.

A little more exploring revealed a door to the basement. A basement loaded with fun stuff for an early riser to play with. There was a pool table, a dart board, and best of all, an Xbox 360.

"Dude, I wonder if they have Halo 3."

His brothers found him later, ensconced in a beanbag, happily blowing enemies away.

"So, Mikey," Raph said, pulling the orange turtle from his game, "you gonna join us at the beach, or are we gonna leave you here to paly your game?"

Mike paused his game and looked back at his brothers, Dan, and Casey.

"I didn't think we'd be going to the beach this early," he said.

"Mike, it's, like, practically noon," Casey said. "Time to get movin', ya know?"

"You're one to talk," Raph cut in. "Who was the last one up, eh?"

Casey and Raph went toe to toe and started yelling insults at each other. The others moved closer to Mike to get away from the noise.

"Dan says he knows a place we can go," Leo said. "It's kinda hard to get to, so no one should bother us."

"Theoretically," Raph muttered, taking a moment out from arguing with Casey.

"You can stay here," Don said helpfully. He turned to Mike. "So, you comin'?"

Mike jumped up, flipping the TV off. "Like, of course, dude! I'm not going to be left here while you guys go play. I was just killin' time until you dudes were up."

"We'll we're up now," Don said, "so let's go!"

"I've got some sandwich stuff in the fridge," Dan said. "We can make a picnic and spend the whole day at the beach. It's supposed to be great weather today."

"Righteous!" Mike crowed.

"Excellent!" Leo chimed in.

Don threw his two cents in. "Auspicious!"

Leo and Mike rolled their eyes. Dan just laughed.

"Last one upstairs is a rotten turtle egg!" Mike yelled, charging past Casey and Raph.

Leo, Don, and Dan were close on his heels, leaving Casey and Raph to finish their argument in peace.

"Sand and surf, here we come!"

--

"Look! It's a _Larus californicus_!"

Don made a mark on the paper he was carrying around on a clip board. Mike rolled his eyes.

"Donnie, put the scientific research away and enjoy the sun, dude."

"I am enjoying the sun. Just because I choose to look for mollusks and gulls doesn't mean I'm not having fun. You like laying around. I like classifying."

Mike raised his hands in surrender. "All right, already. I give. You're having fun."

"Mikey, come play ball," Dan called.

Dan, Leo, and Casey were playing a lopsided game of volleyball. Mike had been having fun watching Leo beat the other two.

"Why not ask Raph?"

The red turtle was farther down the deserted beach, skipping rocks out into the surf.

"He's communing with the sea or something," Casey said. "It's you or nothin'."

Mike got to his feet from where he'd been laying near the remnants of their picnic.

"So, what, turtles against humans?" he quipped walking over.

"I was hoping you'd be on my team," Dan said. The young man was a little breathless from running after the ball. "You and me against Leo and Casey. Or all three of us against Leo?"

Mike laughed. "Leo's not that good."

"Hey!" interjected Leo.

"It's true. You're good, but not three-on-one good."

"Sounds like a challenge to me," Casey said. He chucked the ball at Leo.

"Right," the blue turtle said. "I'll get three points in a row, one for each of you, or you win."

Leo took a few steps away from the net, threw the ball into the air, and spiked it toward the other three. Dan and Casey dived out of the way. Mike yelled 'yikes!' and turned his shell toward the oncoming missile. The _thud_ reveberated through his whole body as the ball rebounded off his back. He spun back around to face his sibling.

"Dude, are you trying to kill us?!"

Leo looked cocky with his arms folded across his chest. Mike bared his teeth in a grimace. If that's they way Fearless Leader wanted to play it, Mike would oblige him.

"Where's the ball?"

"Uh, in the drink," Dan said.

That deflated some of Mike's enthusiasm. He could see the white orb floating out on the waves. "I'll get it," he said.

He jogged to the water, ran a few lengths into the water, then dove, Baywatch style, beneath the waves. His head popped up and he swam with sure strokes toward the ball. He caught it, and hugged it beneath his chin, floating on the waves for a moment. He could see around the spur of jagged rock that separate the secluded beach where his brothers were from the busy beach just a few hundred yards away.

He felt a little spurt of jealousy, watching families play and swim together. The jealousy didn't spring from the sight of the families, his own family shared a strong bond of friendship and love, in their own way. It was the fact that the others had nothing to hide. Nothing that would keep them away from crowds of people on a bright sunny day anyway. Mike sighed and, keeping the ball between his stroking arms, headed back toward his family.

A woman's scream brought him up short. He turned back to the busy beach, his brown eyes singling out a woman up to her knees in the water. She was pointing frantically and screaming. Mike followed the direction of her finger and was horrified to see a little girl flailing in the deep water. Near her floated an inflatable lounge.

Without thinking, Mike started toward the girl, volleyball forgotten. As he got closer, he plunged under the water so he wouldn't be seen. He floated just beneath the little girl, supporting her with his hands around his waist and started kicking toward the floating lounge. His lungs were starting to burn with the need for air and he popped his head up, coming face to face with the little girl.

"Turtle," she said, poking his snout.

Mike blinked salt water from his eyes. "Uh, yeah little dudette. But you can't tell your mommy about me."

"'Kay," the girl said.

"I'll get you on your floaty thing and then you have to hang onto that until the lifeguard comes to get you."

The little girl nodded again.

Mike looked toward the beach. Several people were already headed out to the lounge. He was going to try and get her closer to them. Keeping his head up, but hidden behind the girl's body, he swam to the lounge and helped her climb on.

"Lay on your tummy and hold on tight," he said.

"'Kay, Mr. Turtle," she said.

Marveling at her acceptance, Mike gripped the back of the lounge and swam toward the shore. When he thought he was close enough he peeked around the side of the lounge and came face to face with a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Oh!" the mouth below the eyes said.

"Crap!" Mike yelled.

He let go and kicked backward. He saw a young woman holding onto the lounge. Saw her wide eyes and mouth open to scream, and then he dove beneath the surface.

'She saw me!' he thought wildly. 'We gotta leave! They'll be combing the beach for huge turtles now!'

Though his lungs ached for air, he surfaced only once to catch a breath and make sure he was going in the right direction.

"Guys, we gotta go!" Mike gasped as he staggered out of the water.

"Man, what took you so long?" Casey asked. "Where's the ball."

"There was a girl," Mike said. "She fell of her raft. I had to save her, but someone saw me. We gotta go!"

"Way to go, dunder head," Raph said.

Mike's hands balled into fists. Leo stepped between them.

"Now's not the time," he said. "Pack up. Get moving."

Five minutes later they had all the gear up to Casey's van and were driving for Dan's house. Mike was miserable. He'd saved the girl, but ruined the day for his brothers and friends. He hoped they could salvage the rest of the trip, or he'd never hear the end of it.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Mikey! Come look!" Don called from the living room.

Mike grabbed another piece of pizza and headed to where Don was glued to the TV. Don had been there since they'd returned from the beach, watching various news channles. A dark-haired reporter was on the evening news.

" . . . where a little girl nearly drowned today," the woman was saying. "Cindy Brown was spending the day with her parents at the beach, when she somehow floated out into deep water and fell in. Several eye witnesses say it was a miracle that the little girl was able to flounder back to her life raft and hang on until a lifeguard reached her. Our field reporter, Karen Johnson, is with the woman who made the rescue."

The scene changed, showing a red-haired reporter standing in front of a fenced off pool.

"Thank you, Janet," Karen said. "I'm here at the municipal pool with the amazing woman who saved little Cindy Brown. Kiira, can you tell us what happened?"

The camera pulled back revealing the blonde woman with blue eyes who'd spotted Mike earlier at the beach. Mike cringed. Here it was. She was going to tell the world about the speaking turtle who'd scared her that day. Karen held her mike out to the woman.

"Tells us, Kiira, what prompted you to swim out and save Cindy?"

Kiira smiled wryly a the camera. "Well, I'm a lifeguard, as you can see. I should have let the beach guards take care of it, but I guess I acted on instinct."

"And you say that Cindy had managed to climb back on her float by the time you got there?" Karen asked.

Kiira nodded. "Yeah. I didn't see it, since I was swimming out to her, but when I got there, she was smiling and waving at me, and I towed her back to shore."

The interview continued for another couple questions then was turned back over to the news room.

Mike blinked. That was it? No mention of giant talking turtles? No hysterical mobs or crazed scientists? He felt eyes on him and turned to see Don watching him.

"So, you freaked for nothing," Don said.

Mike flushed. "It wasn't nothing at the time, Donnie. I thought she'd rat us out. Well me, anyway. How could I know she'd be cool?"

Don clicked the TV off. "Guess we're safe then. Wanna go back to the beach tomorrow?"

Mike shrugged. "Sure. But I don't think I'll go swimmin' again."

That night, Mike dreamed of blonde hair, blue eyes, and a great smile, leading hordes of mad scientists to him and his brothers. He woke restless and headed to the basement to play the Xbox 360 again. It didn't hold his attention long. He tried shadow boxing instead, hoping to work off the restlessness that was turning to frustration. There wasn't that much room to move, even with the pool table shoved up against one wall.

With frustration turning to irritation, Mike climbed on an abandoned treadmill he pulled from the recesses of the room, and cranked up the speed. He didn't watch the time, just ran as hard as he could, as long as he could. Finally he hit the emergency stop and collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. It took several minutes to recover sufficiently to stand, and even then, Mike had to keep a hand on the wall as he forced his jelly-like legs to carry himself up the stairs to the kitchen. It was still early, and his brothers and friends slept unaware of his early morning activity. With a groan, Mike hauled himself back up to his commandeered room and fell onto the bed. He was asleep in moments.

A flying tackle from Casey woke Mike up a couple hours later.

"Dude, what gives?" Mike wheezed, rubbing his bruised chestplate.

Casey grinned and offered Mike a hand. "We're headed to the beach again. Both Leo and Donnie tried to wake you up. Raph volunteered to give it a try, but I convinced him to let me try first. Firgured I'd be more gentle."

Mike rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Tell that to my bruised ribs." He groaned and rolled off the bed to stand, only to have his legs give out under him. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" he cried, trying to massage a Charlie horse out of his left calf.

Casey knelt down, helping him stretch the muscle. "What'd you do, run a marathon?"

"Something like that," Mike ground out through gritted teeth.

Several minutes later, with a little help from Casey's own brand of sports massage, Mike managed to limp down the stairs. A picnic basket and his brothers greeted him.

"Think you can manage not to spoil the fun today?" Raph asked.

Mike grinned. "Sure. I'll just avoid rescuing little girls."

They spent the day playing and relaxing on the beach. Leo beat Mike, Casey and Dan in a game of one-on-three volleyball. Then Raph joined in and Leo quickly lost. They took a swim in the ocean, careful to stay out of sight of the more populated beach just around the spur of rock that kept their beach seculded. As the sun set, they built a small fire and made s'mores. On Don's insistance, they stayed after the sun was down so he could stargaze.

Lying on his back, looking at the stars, surrounded by friends and family, Mike found his mind wandering. What was Kiira the lifeguard doing? She hadn't said anything about him on TV, but what if she took her story of a giant speaking turtle to someone more discreetly? He looked over at Raph, gently snoring in the sand. Don, his head together with Dan and Casey, pointing out constellations. And Leo, quietly watching and listening.

Mike couldn't stand the thought of them being exposed because of his stupidity. On the ride back to Dan's house, he made a decision. He was going to find Kiira and ask her not to tell anyone about him. Her actions so far had given him hope, but he had to make sure that his family was safe.

Together with Leo, they dragged Raph into the house, then laid down on his borrowed bed until he was sure everyone was asleep. Using all the stealth that years of practice had given him, Mike slipped out of the house and into the street. It was a little more difficult, without being able to move about on the rooftops or sewers, for Mike to get around, but twenty minutes later he was standing outside the fence that surrounded the pool. Most of the lights around the pool were off and the pool was empty. Down at the far end, near the building, he could see a figure moving around. Gauging the height of the fence, Mike backed up, took a running start, and flipped over the top. He landed and rolled to lessen the impact.

"Who's there?" a female voice called.

Mike scuttled behind a bin of water toys, grateful for the thick shadows. He peered around the bin and saw the figure walking toward him. He nearly panicked.

It's okay, Mikey, he told himself. You just need to talk to her. You've done it before. Just ask her to keep quiet about you and leave. It's all good.

"If someone's back there, you'd better show yourself," the voice said, much closer. "There's a night watchman here. I'll call him if you don't come out now."

Mike took a deep breath. "Don't freak out, 'kay? I'm coming out." He stood up slowly, watching her expression as he did.

Her eyes held his for a moment, then traveled down the length of his body as he stood. Her eyes were wide when they returned to his face.

"You're a -" She stopped and swallowed.

"Turtle, yeah." Nerves got the better of Mike and he began rambling. "It's a long story, but I started out just a regular turtle, and I was dropped down a sewer in New York and landed in some glowy green goo, and I mutated into this, and I didn't hurt that girl, I was just trying to help, and you can't tell anyone about me, PLEASE, cause I don't need that kind of trouble in my life, and you just gotta stay cool and not mention me to anyone, 'kay?"

"Kiira?" a gruff male voice called from the other side of the pool.

"Crap," Mike muttered, ducking out of sight again. "Please don't tell him I'm here."

"Kiira?" the voice called again.

"It's okay Frank. I'm just looking for items left behind. You can close up and go home. I'll let myself out."

The sound of heavy steps drew closer, accompanied by the jingle of a key ring. "You're sure everything's okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I thought I saw some towels back here. Once I check, I'm ready to leave."

"All right, then. I'll lock up. Make sure you get all the lights behind you."

"Will do. See you tomorrow."

"'Night."

The watchman's steps receded and Mike let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. It was silent for a long moment, and Mike wondered if Kiira had gone as well. He peeked around the bin of toys, and met Kiira's blue eyes.

"You're still there," she said.

Mike's gaze flicked around the pool and saw no one. They were alone. He stood up again.

"Yeah. You too."

She smiled and nodded. "Thought I'd run screaming, huh?"

"Well, not screaming, exactly. Not after you saw me in the water. But I thought you might run . . . to someone."

"You're worried I'll call the press down on you." Her smile widened into a grin.

Mike nodded.

"I won't," Kiira promised, making an 'X' motion over her heart with one finger. "You saved that girl, and that means something to me."

Mike put a hand on the bin of toys to steady himself as he sagged. "Great. Thanks so much." He straightened. "Well, I gotta get back home."

"You live around here?"

"Ah, well, no. Home is in New York. But I'm visiting a friend-" Mike stopped. He was saying too much.

Kiira checked her watch. "It's past midnight, but I can't imagine you'll have an easy time sneaking back to your friend's house. I can imagine how you got this far without . . . being seen . . . Wait. There's four of you, aren't there? I was in New York a couple years back. There was a big story in the paper, about a club that got messed up by weird guys in costumes. They had a picture of four bipedal turtles in masks. That was you, wasn't it."

Mike was getting nervous all over again. "That wasn't a highlight in my career as a trying-to-stay-out-of-trouble, normal, average, everyday, mutant turtle life."

Kiira laughed. "No. I'd say not." She held out her hand to him. "Come one, Mr. Ninja Turtle. It'll still be faster for you if I drive you home."

"Uh, I dunno."

She dropped her hand, though the smile stayed on her face. "It's okay. I guess it's pretty hard for you to trust people. But I swear, I won't tell a soul about you." She turned and looked at the municipal building. "Look, I've got to change and finish closing up. If you want a ride home, that's my car over there." She pointed to a dark colored Bronco. "The back is unlocked, so, I'll see you in a couple minutes, if you want a ride. If not, it was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Mike said, relaxing.

Kiira smiled, turned, and started walking away. After a few steps she turned, walking backward. "I'm Kiira, by the way."

Mike smiled. "I know, dudette. I saw you on TV. I'm Michelangelo."

"Nice to meet you Michelangelo."

She waved at him, then turned and walked into the building.

It took Mike about ten seconds to get back over the fence and into the back of the Bronco.


	4. Chapter 4

Mike lay in the back of the Bronco, under a beach blanket, listening for Kiira. His eyes drifted closed. Now that his worries had been laid to rest, he was exhausted. He didn't have to worry about hordes of mad scientists coming to cart him and his brothers off to some lab of horrors. They could just enjoy the rest of spring break with Dan.

He was nodding off, when a soft step sounded at the front of the Bronco, and a moment later, the door opened. He stayed still, a lump under the blanket, until the door closed, and the interior was plunged into darkness again.

"Michelangelo?" Kiira's voice said softly.

Mike flicked the blanket off and sat up. "Back here," he said.

Kiira turned, and he saw a flash of white teeth in the darkness as she smiled. "Where to?"

"Over by the university," Mike said. "There's a neighborhood that rents to the students. I'll give you directions."

"I know the place," Kiira said. "I have a couple of friends who live there too." She started the engine and put the Bronco in drive. "You're welcome to come sit up front," she said.

She started to pull out of the parking lot. Mike climbed over the seats and buckled himself into the passenger seat. There was a moment of awkward silence.

"So, you were pretty amazing—" Mike started.

"I couldn't believe you swam—" Kiira said at the same time.

They both stopped and laughed.

"You first," Mike said.

"He saves lives and he's a gentleman. What a rare combination."

Mike felt his cheeks grow warm and was glad she couldn't see his blush in the dark.

"Anyway," Kiira continued, "I was going to say you must be an amazing swimmer. You weren't on the beach I was, obviously, so you must have had a longer swim than me."

"I am a turtle after all," Mike said. "Swimming's no biggie. What about you? You're like a dolphin in the water." He blushed again and rolled his eyes at his own awkwardness.

Kiira giggled. "I've been in or around water my whole life. I did swim team in high school, and we took state every year. I started lifeguarding as soon as I was old enough."

"What made you want to save lives?" Mike asked.

Kiira was quiet for a moment. "My little brother drowned when I was fourteen. I was already on the swim team and decided that I wanted to be able to help others in the water."

Silence hung in the air. After a moment, Mike said, "I'm sorry."

"Thanks." She reached out and took his hand, squeezing before letting go again.

Silence settled around them again. Mike unconsciously rubbed his hand with his opposite thumb. What would he have done if one of his brothers had died? Would he have dedicated himself to saving lives, or sunk into pity? He was grateful he hadn't had to find out the hard way. His eyes flicked to Kiira's profile, softly lit by the dashboard lights.

"You're awesome," he said.

She flashed a grin. "Thanks. You're pretty awesome too. Saving the world in secret."

Mike felt a giddy flutter in his stomach, and then to his mortification, his stomach growled loudly. He hugged his protesting belly and groaned. Kiira's expression changed to one of worry.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Fine. I just haven't eaten much today. I was too worried about you turning me in to the local mad scientist."

Kiira laughed. They were approaching Dan's neighborhood, but she kept going, passing the street by.

"What do ninja super turtles eat anyway?"

"Are there any places open this late?" Mike asked.

"I know of a couple. So, do you have a preference, or will you leave your stomach to my mercy?" She chuckled.

Mike couldn't help but smile back. "Well, this ninja super turtle prefers pizza. Heavy on the sauce and cheese, and loaded with toppings. But I find it hard to imagine a pizza place open after midnight."

"Then you're in for a surprise." Kiira pulled out her cell phone and hit a speed dial number. "I know this place that stays open really late catering to all the college kids, and they do a killer pizza. Have any favorite toppings, or any you can't stand?"

"Uh, wow. Well, I'm cool with pretty much anything," Mike said. He hoped all his brothers and Casey and Dan stayed asleep. If they found him missing . . . But on the other hand, he didn't want to leave Kiira. She hadn't freaked out on seeing him, and seemed like a fun, spontaneous person. He didn't often get to hang out with people outside his tight knit circle of family and friends.

Kiira's voice broke into his thoughts. "Shaun says the pizza will be ready in twenty minutes. We'll swing by and get the pizza, then I'll take you to this place I know on the beach."

"This is moving a little fast, isn't it? I mean we just met, and you're buying dinner and . . . "

Kiira slowed the Bronco in response to the question. "Maybe. Am I making you uncomfortable? I don't have any devious plans, I promise. I just wanted to be a friend."

Mike felt his face growing hot again, this time from embarrassment. He took a deep breath, searching for the calm he found when meditating.

"I must sound paranoid," he said, making his tone teasing. "I admit, I'm not used to people wanting to share dinner with me and show me their favorite places, so it is a bit new."

"I understand," Kiira said. "I can just take you back to your friend's house if you'd like."

"No, it's okay. Pizza's best fresh, and I'd like to see this beach of yours."

"Okay." She leaned over and nudged him with an elbow. "As long as you're not worried that I'll do something dastardly to you."

Mike grinned back and tapped his chestplate with a thumb. "Ninja super turtle, remember? I think I can handle myself."

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, they were parked on a beach, the back of the Bronco open to the ocean. Their feet dangled off the tailgate as they ate pizza and laughed together.

"You really went back to ancient Japan?" Kiira asked.

"Yeah. We still have the scepter too, but we keep it locked up. Don't want to accidentally time travel again. Once was bad enough."

Kiira shook her head. "And I thought that was the stuff of books and movies."

Mike nudged her with his elbow. "You probably thought the same thing about talking mutant turtles too, eh?"

"True. True. I must admit, it's a relief that you aren't trying to take over the world, or brainwash the human race to be your slaves. That's usually what happens in the books."

Mike chuckled. "Yeah, you're really lucky. Leo would make you all meditate for hours a day, Raph would yell and get all sarcastic when he got mad, and Donnie would try out his latest inventions on you."

"And what would you do?" Kiira asked.

"Me? Hmm." He snatched another piece of pizza. "I'd make you play video games all day, and skateboard through the sewer with me."

"You live in a sewer?" Kiira asked.

Mike laughed as her nose wrinkled. "Don't worry, I washed my hands. Besides, it's a good way to avoid detection. No one goes into the sewer unless they have to. And if they do . . ." Mike set his pizza down, jumped off the tailgate and pulled his nunchakus from his belt. "If they do, they get clobbered."

He ran through a quick exercise, spinning the nunchakus around his hands, over his arms, and beat out a rhythm against his shell. Then he caught them under his arms and bowed. Kiira clapped.

"Very nice, Mr. Ninja. Remind me never to invade your home."

Mike shoved his nunchakus back into his belt his chest swelling with unexpected pride, and hopped up on the tailgate again. It had been a while since he'd done more than practice with his weapons, or put them to practical use. A little showing off was fun.

"You should come to New York again some time. I'll give ya the grand tour."

"That would be great," Kiira said. "I'd love to see your home. And I'd like to meet your brothers too."

A voice out of the darkness said, "Awe. How sweet."

Three rough looking teens came around the Bronco to stand in front of Mike and Kiira. They had the look of seasoned gang members, and even from a few feet away Mike could smell that they hadn't bathed in a while.

"Isn't that cute boys? She wants to—woah!"

The tallest teen's voice trailed off as he caught sight of Mike. His eyes were wide.

"Shit, it's a monster!" one of the other teens gasped.

Two of the three pulled knives from pockets and came at Mike with more cursing. In a move honed by years of practice and battle, Mike slid off the tailgate and disarmed the miscreants. They lay at his feet groaning. The leader hadn't moved. He fixed cold, dark eyes on Mike and let out a high pitched whistle through his teeth.

"Geez, dude, keep it down," Mike said. He pulled one nunchaku free and started swinging it lazily. "Don't you know what time it is? The kids are asleep. How 'bout you and your friends run along and leave us alone? We don't want any trouble."

He hoped the sight of his weapon, along with his own shocking appearance, would be enough to drive the gangsters off. He really didn't want a fight.

The teen smiled. "This is my beach, and you gotta pay a toll to be here." His eyes roved over Kiira and Mike wanted to smash his face in. "But, seein' as you have a freak with you, lady, you're gonna owe a bit more than just money."

Mike didn't like the kid's attitude. He was way to calm and cocky. He guessed they were about to be in big trouble.

"Kiira, get in the car, and get out of here," Mike said out of the side of his mouth. He pulled his other nunchaku from his belt.

"I can't leave you," she started to say.

"Just go. Get my brothers." He crouched, got a shoulder under the tailgate and slammed it shut, dumping Kiira and the rest of the pizza into the back of the Bronco. "Go!"

A dozen or so young men were streaming toward the Bronco. Mike could barely make out their shapes in the darkness.

"Go!" he shouted again.

* * *

Kiira scrambled through the Bronco for the driver's seat, getting there and locking the door a second before one of the gang members tried to pull it open.

She could see Mike whirling his nunchakus in the rearview mirror, striking out at anyone who got too close. Two more of the teens fell, unconscious.

Kiira got the key into the ignition and shoved the Bronco into drive. The window next to her shattered as the teen slammed the butt of his knife against it. Kiira screamed and tromped down on the gas. Sand flew as the tires tried to get purchase, and then the Bronco lurched forward. She turned the Bronco around, fishtailing through the gang, headlights on high beam, scattering teens, trying to see Mike in the melee. As Kiira was turning to come around again, a gunshot rang out.

"Michelangelo!" Kiira screamed. She couldn't see the turtle amongst the gang members.

She gunned the engine and drove at the gang. Another gunshot rang out and the windshield spiderwebbed. The Bronco bucked and skidded on the sand as Kiira spun the wheel to avoid the gang. She couldn't see well enough to drive through them again. Instead, she turned the Bronco back toward the road. Something thudded against the side of the Bronco and a third shot sounded. The back window shattered. Kiira struggled to control the vehicle as she poured on more gas. A moment later, the tires hit pavement and she shot forward. Kiira slammed on the brakes and looked back. All she could see was a dark blob where the gang was.

"Please don't let him be dead," she prayed.

She slammed her foot down on the gas, heading for the neighborhood that Mike had told her his friend lived in.

* * *

**A/N**: You are all patient and wonderful readers. Thank you! The next chapter will take a while to put up, so I apologize in advance. I have started the chapter, so there is hope. Thanks again for your support of the story and me!


	5. Chapter 5

An insistent pounding on the door woke Leo. He blinked and took a deep breath clearing the sleep from his mind and lungs. The hallway light flipped on and Dan came down the stairs. Leo looked at Raph who hadn't moved. Groaning, he pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and tossed it over Raph as camouflage. Leo crouched near Raph's head, ready to keep his sibling quiet if he woke.

"Ready?" Dan asked.

Leo gave him a thumbs up. He heard the door open.

"I need to talk to Leo. Or Donnie," a woman's voice said, not waiting for a greeting from Dan.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Dan asked.

"It's urgent. Michelangelo's in trouble—"

Leo stood. He recognized the girl in the doorway from the news report Mike and Don had watched earlier. Her eyes filled with tears and she pushed past Dan and rushed to Leo, grabbing his arm.

"There was a gang on the beach. Michelangelo started fighting them to save me. He needs help. There was a gun—"

"Who had a gun?" Raph asked, sitting up and throwing the blanket off.

"Wait here." Leo said to the distraught girl. He ran up the stairs. Don and Casey were in the hallway.

"Mikey's—"

"We heard," Don said.

Leo nodded. "Get your gear."

* * *

Mike groaned as he came to. The rocking motion of the ground made him sick to his stomach.

Wait. The ground was moving?

He blinked his eyes open and looked around. He was in the back of a van. Two gang members were sitting on the floor in front of him, backs against the side of the van.

"Seth, he's awake," one of them said.

Mike looked toward the front of the van and saw Seth, the gang leader, lean out of the passenger seat. Their eyes met and the gang leader grinned.

"Bash him back to sleep, boys."

Mike tried to bring his arms up to defend himself, but fire tore through his left shoulder. A booted foot slammed into his stomach, and a thick piece of wood crashed against his shell.

"You idiots," Seth yelled, "get its head. Not the shell."

The thug with the piece of wood brought his weapon down on Mike's head, sending him spiraling back down into blackness.

* * *

"There!" Kiira cried, pointing.

She could see where the sand had been churned up by her hasty retreat. To her dismay, however, she couldn't see any of the gang members. She supposed it made sense that they'd run off, but she'd hoped she might make it back with Mike's brothers quick enough to catch one or two of the thugs.

"There's no one here," the red one said from the back of the van. Raph, Kiira reminded herself.

She opened the passenger door and stepped out into the sand. Casey, who was driving, put the vehicle in park. No one else moved. Kiira stepped away from the van, folding her arms over her chest.

_What now?_

She hugged herself as a cool breeze blew in off the water. It was her fault. She'd invited Mike here. She'd put him at risk, and now she'd lost him. She wasn't sure she could make herself get back in van with his brothers and friends knowing she was the reason their loved one was in danger.

"I'm supposed to rescue people," she said, her fingers digging into her arms. "Not get them into trouble."

"You made the right choice to come get us," Raph said behind her.

"It doesn't feel like the right decision," Kiira said. "I should have helped him. I should have done more."

"You could've been hurt or killed," Leo said.

Kiira shook her head. She knew he spoke the truth, but it didn't help the guilt gnawing at her.

"We're in luck." Don climbed out of the van, an electronic device in his hands. "Mikey had his communicator with him. I can track the GPS signal."

Relief washed through Kiira. She sucked in a shuddering breath and blinked back tears, hoping no one had seen. "Let's go get him."

"We should take you back to the house," Raph said. "This is going to be dangerous."

"I'm coming," Kiira said firmly. "It's my fault he was taken—"

Raph's hands rested on the sais on his belt. "And we'll get him back. We don't need to be watchin' out for you while fightin' off thugs."

"They've stopped," Don said, looking at the GPS in his hands. "We don't have time to argue. Kiira's here now and we need to get to Mikey. It'd take too long to go back to Dan's, and we can't just leave her here."

There was a moment of silence as the three turtles looked at each other. Kiira held her breath, torn between telling them to leave her and hoping they wouldn't.

"I'll look out for her," Casey said. "We need to get movin'."

Leo nodded and Kiira let out her breath. "Thank you," she said.

They piled back into the van and Casey turned them back to the road, following Don's directions.


End file.
